Speciality-Food-Magazine-March-2025

55 LAST WORDS The final word on fine food FARHI DUBAI CHOCOLATE BAR Call me a cynic, but social media- famous food trends have never really tempted my appetite... until I spotted ‘Dubai chocolate’. At once crispy and creamy, coated with chocolate and rich with pistachio flavour, I sensed that it would be my new favourite thing... And Farhi’s new take on the trend has not disappointed. Wonderfully indulgent and expertly crafted, this is a sweet treat sure to fly off shelves. farhi.co.uk WALLY & WHIZ DANISH WINEGUMS Show me a grown-up confection and I’ll show you a queue of consumers eager to get a taste of their childhood without compromising on quality. Danish confectioners Wally and Whiz have arrived in the UK to satisfy the sweet-toothed among us, and from the product’s stylish branding to its moreish flavours – we particularly love the Lime Coated with Sour Lemon variant – they do not disappoint. Ideal for gifting (including self-gifting). cotswold-fayre.co.uk BIO&ME SUPER NUTTY MUESLI Like a great many consumers, I’m finding myself becoming increasingly invested in gut health. As someone who can’t be trusted to take supplements as regularly as required, and who wholeheartedly believes in the ‘food as medicine’ mantra, a gut health-boosting food or drink that can slot into my daily routine ticks all the boxes. Enter Bio&Me’s new muesli which is a delicious nutrition-boosting breakfast, especially when paired with protein-packed greek yoghurt and fruit. bioandme.co.uk PARTNER CONTENT THE INDEPENDENT SHOPPER on provenance with dishes using the highest quality, seasonal British ingredients, and we take pride in the fact that they are constantly evolving to offer seasonal ingredients and match seasonal dates. Sourcing from local suppliers and those with heritage and provenance is hugely important to me because of the environmental factor. As society is coming to learn just how fragile our environment is, I believe we should be learning to move away from the ‘more is more’ view and be grateful for local and British farming crops and livestock. If this approach isn’t taken, we’re at risk of leaving the earth depleted for generations to follow us. All our beef is sourced ethically and sustainably from our family farms in Melrose on the Scottish borders, and dry-aged on site at the T he Ox is a gastro pub on Clapham High Street, known for being a bustling area for nightlife, we wanted to introduce a traditional pub into the area with a food offering that was relaxed in feel with a high focus on provenance of produce. Launched in October 2024, post the success of sister pub the Rose & Crown in Clapham Old Town, the pub has quickly become not only a local favourite but a London favourite, with many travelling across the city to dine on excellent dishes. Whether it’s a quick pint, Sunday roast or a feasting menu, we’re all about quality and our passion for British produce shines through in every dish. I believe sourcing locally is one of the most important factors for us as a business to succeed and grow. Customers care a great deal about the provenance of their food; not only with restaurants using smaller suppliers, but local and ethically produced suppliers. Our menus put the spotlight Josie Savry, director of Polygon Public House specialityfoodmagazine.com VALUE MEETS FLAVOUR It’s time to give humble Italian recipes their time in the spotlight I talian food and drinkmay often come with a dose of glamour, its packaging regularly beautifully considered and the promise of deliciousness to come intoxicating, but it’s the everyday – often low cost – dishes that really steal the hearts of food lovers. Dishes like gnocchi and minestrone, endlessly versatile and flexible enough to be deliciously decadent or satisfyingly spartan, form the bedrock of much Italian cuisine – and with good reason. When purse strings are tight, as they so often are in the first quarter of the year, seasonal vegetables and store cupboard staples come to the fore in kitchens up and down the country. To make gnocchi sing, a simple pasta sauce made by roasting in- season veg with onions and garlic and blending to a loose mouth- coating paste or chunky flavour bomb is all you need – and if you have some Italian charcuterie to hand, all the better. Top with finely grated Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano or an aged Pecorino, or create a twist on pasta bianco with just high quality olive oil, cheese and freshly ground pepper. Minestrone is the ultimate versatile soup and is packed with veg into the bargain. Soffrito – carrot, onion and celery – forms a nutritious base, and a high quality stockmakes all the difference in terms of flavour and goodness levels. If fresh food is scarce, fill it to the brimwith tinned or dried (then soaked) beans, as well as some frozen vegetables and dried herbs, or use the soup as a showcase of the very best seasonal produce you can get your hands on. Add pasta for bolster; whichever shape takes your fancy. These dishes show that you don’t need to keep an ever-changing rotation of fine Italian foods in stock – as much as shoppers, this one included, will see you as a destination for la dolce vita if you do. By keeping a stock of great quality ambient staples – beans and pasta – and fresh produce including excellent stock to hand, customers can recreate budget and tastebud- friendly dishes the whole family will love. Sourcing from local suppliers is hugely important pub in Clapham. The end result is exceptional British beef that we serve either as range of farm to fork cuts of steak, including fillet, flat iron and a porterhouse, or a rump on Sundays as a roast. We also currently use Wood Farm free-range eggs from Oxfordshire. For bread, we work with a family-owned bakery in Uxbridge and place sourdough orders 48 hours in advance due to starter culture requirement. This bakery provides the tastiest sourdough that we use across a few of our dishes. Not only is it important for us as a business to work with local suppliers, but ultimately as we pass the cost onto the consumer, we find that customers value and find reassurance in knowing that the food they consume being of high-quality produce. So, it’s important that we take care in appealing to our customers and working with suppliers that have the same value as us. Moving forward as we develop and change our menus with the seasons, we will continue to look for more artisanal suppliers in order to offer our customers evolving and exciting menus. Furthermore, changing up our produce and dishes is key to encouraging customers to return time and time again to the pub. TRIED & TESTED